Tableaux on FARMING win three of the top five prizes at CARNIVAL float parade in Mapusa

[Miguel Braganza]

Dears,

The Carnival floats on 04 March, 2014, in Mapusa reflected the yearning of the people of Goa to go back to farming. There were banners on some floats specifically mentioning "organic farming" with kiosks that looked like the familiar vegetable kiosks of the Goa State Horticulture Corporation Ltd that now dot the countryside across Goa thanks to the dynamic leadership provided by Mr. Orlando Rodrigues, Managing Director, who has even introduced tricycle mounted, solar-powered "Kool Karts" for vending fresh fruits and vegetables in towns and on the beachfront. It is our hope that the GSHCL outlets will go organic once the local production of vegetables goes up with the targeted production schemes he has introduced. Hopefully, the inputs will be organic in the next financial year.

Organic Farming has become a household word in Goa largely thanks to a young couple, Yogita Mehra and Karan Manral [www.greenessentials.com], the consistent support given by the Director of the International Centre-Goa [www.icentgoa.com], Ms. Nandini Sahai, and the Botanical Society of Goa [www.konkanfruitfest.com], headed by Dr. H.Y. Karapurkar. A Toyota Foundation funded project for community marketing for farmers from the island of Chorao [www.choraofarmers.com] had Yogita getting sold to the idea of organic farming that she was promoting among the farmers as the Principal Investigator of the project. The Third Biennial Convention of OFAI [www.ofai.org] and her participation in the 17th Organic World Congress in Seoul, Korea [www.owc2011.org] of IFOAM [www.ifoam.org] thanks to the generous support of the Korean Organizing Committee through INOFO of IFOAM, were perhaps the tipping points that made her switch. There has been no looking back.

The Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry [GCCI] has been exhorted to follow the example of the Maratha Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture and include "Agriculture" more formally in its agenda. GCCI already has an "Agriculture Committee" and it recently conducted a well attended seminar on "Commercial Cultivation of Chilies and Cut flowers" in association with the Directorate of Agriculture, NABARD and State Bank of India.

The Confederation of Indian Industries has a committee for development of model village, Neturlim, with dairy and agriculture 

A number of high schools and higher secondary schools in Goa offer "Horticulture" as an optional science subject at SSC and HSSC level.

The Don Bosco Agro Education Complex, Sulcorna has already submitted a proposal to start a College of Agriculture with emphasis on organic farming from year 2015-16. It will hold a series of 3-day Rural Summer camps to expose students to the wonder world of plants and their protected cultivation as well.

The print and electronic media in Goa deserve a lion's share of the credit for promoting organic farming and vegetable cultivation in Goa by their unstinting support, whether it is the Konkan Fruit Fest or Organic Saturdays or the many workshops in organic cultivation of vegetables: commercially, home scale and even on balconies. How else would one expect three of the best five floats to be inspired by organic farming this year??

Warm regards,

Miguel

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-http://www.epapernavhind.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=06032014

.-http://www.epaperoheraldo.in/Details.aspx?id=14374&boxid=154039562&uid=&dat=3/5/2014

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Miguel A. Braganza, House No.5/4-A

Opposite Zonal Agriculture Office & Farm

Xettiavaddo, MAPUSA- 403507 Goa. INDIA
Ph +91-9822982676; 91-832-2255139

www.brittosoba.com www.konkanfruitfest.com

www.pgsorganic.in www.ifoam.org/inofo
Horticulture.Facilitation.Networking
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